Methods for matching, selecting, narrowcasting, and/or classifying based on rights management and/or other information

• US 6,938,021 B2
• Filed: 10/18/2002
• Issued: 08/30/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intertrust Technologies Corporation (Fidelio Acquisition Co LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intertrust Technologies Corporation (Fidelio Acquisition Co LLC)
• Inventors: Weber, Robert P., Shear, Victor H., Van Wie, David M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dixon, Thomas A.
• Application Number:
  US10/272,903
• Publication Number:
  US 20030069748A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,047 Days
• Field of Search: 705/67, 705/1, 705/50, 705/51, 705/52, 705/53, 705/54, 705/26
• US Class Current: 705/67
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0257 User requested
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0271 Personalized advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 2001/085 Partner search devices

Abstract

Rights management information is used at least in part in a matching, narrowcasting, classifying and/or selecting process. A matching and classification utility system comprising a kind of Commerce Utility System is used to perform the matching, narrowcasting, classifying and/or selecting. The matching and classification utility system may match, narrowcast, classify and/or select people and/or things, non-limiting examples of which include software objects. The Matching and Classification Utility system may use any pre-existing classification schemes, including at least some rights management information and/or other qualitative and/or parameter data indicating and/or defining classes, classification systems, class hierarchies, category schemes, class assignments, category assignments, and/or class membership. The Matching and Classification Utility may also use at least some rights management information together with any artificial intelligence, expert system, statistical, computational, manual, or any other means to define new classes, class hierarchies, classification systems, category schemes, and/or assign persons, things, and/or groups of persons and/or things to at least one class.

Claims

1. A method including the steps of:

at a node associated with a user, collecting historical usage information, the collection governed at least in part by a rule provided by a value chain participant;

sending the collected information to a usage clearinghouse;

the usage clearinghouse analyzing the usage information and providing analysis information to a matching and classification utility;

the matching and classification utility using information provided from the usage clearinghouse to assign the user to a class;

the matching and classification utility selecting a content object for communication to the user, the content object selected at least in part based on the class assignment;

the matching and classification utility packaging the content object in a secure container, the secure container having associated a rule set at least in part governing use of at least a portion of the secure container contents; and

the matching and classification utility providing the secure container to the user.

2. A method as in claim 1, further including:

before the matching and classification utility provides the secure container to the user, the matching and classification utility receiving the content object and assigning the content object to a class; and

the selection of the content object based at least in part on the class to which the content object was assigned.

3. A method as in claim 1, in which the rule set includes a rule provided by a content provider or publisher and a rule provided by the matching and classification utility.

4. A method as in claim 1, further including:

before the matching and classification utility provides the secure container to the user, the matching and classification utility communicating with a content provider, the communication including information about the user class, the content provider providing the content object to the matching and classification utility at least in part in response to the communication.

5. A method as in claim 4, further including:

before the content provider provides the content object to the matching and classification utility, the content provider packaging the content object in a secure container.

6. A method including the steps of:

receiving a content object at a matching and classification utility;

assigning the content object to a class, the classification based at least in part by one or more topics to which the content object relates;

at a user site, generating user demographic information, including information entered by the user;

transmitting the demographic information to the matching and classification utility;

at a user site, generating usage information relating to usage of content by the user;

transmitting the usage information to the matching and classification utility;

at the matching and classification utility, using the demographic information and the usage information to assign the user to a class;

at the matching and classification utility, matching the content object to the user based at least in part on the content object class and the user class; and

based at least in part on the match, transmitting the content object to the user in a first secure container having associated a first rule at least in part governing use of at least a portion of the secure container contents.

7. A method as in claim 6, further including:

before the transmission of the usage information to the matching and classification utility, transmitting they usage information to a usage clearinghouse, the usage clearinghouse analyzing the usage information and transmitting the usage information to the matching and classification utility.

8. A method as in claim 6, in which:

the matching and classification utility receives the content object from a first remote site, the content object being received in the first secure container; and

the content object is transmitted to the user in a secure container having associated the first rule and having associated a second rule, the first and second rules at least in part governing use of at least a portion of the secure container contents, the second rule being associated with the secure container by the matching and classification utility.

9. A method as in claim 6, in which the usage information includes information relating to a payment method used by the user.

10. A method as in claim 6, further including:

the matching and classification utility receiving rating information from a remote source, the rating information rating an aspect of the content object; and

the matching and classification utility using the rating information in assigning the content object to a class.